How much in £s realistically to set up in stock and tools.

[pcbear]

I dont have anything like the full kit but all my bits and pieces must run easy into 2 - 3 thousand inc my 2nd hand key machines, so goodness knows how much you would have to lay out with all the Chubb and Era decoders etc etc, what do you think you have spend on stock and tools? bet its scarey. Go on have a tally up.

[Shrub]

Basic set up with average stock an easy £15K

[Shrub]

But it does depend if your buying programmers and laser machines etc or buying safe equipment.

[pcbear]

Basic set up with average stock an easy £15K

Ouch, You would'nt keep all that on a motor would you? or do you have a shop?

All the locksmith course guff,

All you need is a car and a phone, a few picks and your on your way to instant 000s of pounds per week, how many have been taken in by that?

[Shrub]

Well thats what i was basing it on, if you count my workshop tools that i use for making picks its more like £100k

[Shrub]

But then i do have a lot of toys

[pcbear]

Well thats what i was basing it on, if you count my workshop tools that i use for making picks its more like £100k

F##K me, that is a lot of gear, may i be so rude as to ask how long you have been in the locksmith occupation, and which part of the UK are you.

[pinky]

with picks , stock and van , currently in excess of £60K , but ive bought all machines and programmers new, as a mobile unit my auto keyblank and chip stock is £3K alone.

too many people are blagged with promises of riches that they will never see, and although they set up on a shoe string and dissapear 6 months later, the sheer number of start ups a month is killing the art off, with good master locksmiths going out of business because of lack of work, one day there will be no real locksmiths left, just drillers.

sadly many trainers themselves have less than 12 months experience , so its a dying industry.

[Shrub]

Car key chipped blanks is my next investment, they are dear.

I was an engineer for a long time before i was a lockie so the machines were fro them, its just that now im a lockie all i seem to do at the moment on them is make picks.

Compared to most lockies on here ive only been doing it for 5 minutes and still have a long way to go before ive got every tool out there x2 eh pinky

[pinky]

just as an add on, it really is unrealistic for anyone entering the trade to successfully set up as a minimum set up for under £5k in domestic and commercial, it is also unrealistic for the majority to believe that they will even secure a living wage in the 1st 12 months, it is even more unbelievable for anyone to believe that they can master a trade that can never be mastered in a lifetime in just a few days.

though i suppose you can set up with no more than a drill and a bit of stock and bring the demise of the locksmith industry even quicker, as the way things are going the only pickers left will be the hobby guys as there wont be any true locksmiths left.

[pinky]

x2 shrub , suppose x2 will do for a start, if it shines buy it, but really learn how to use it too.

pick making is an excellent area to exploit as under exposed at present

[pcbear]

I am a fully qualified carpenter with a little bit of locksmith training, nowhere on my advertising do i put myself across as a locksmith, it would be an affront to all the proper locksmiths around, although i would imagine i'm in the minority, 2 day course, small bag of tools and Emergency locksmith cards, off you go, sorry i dont have the front but plenty do, in reality you only scratch the basics of the basics in a few days, you can probably learn more on here shuffling around.

[Shrub]

Im only making tools for myself at the moment but yes there certainly is a place for better priced NDE tools out there.

[bonez]

pc

you will set up eventually yes tools are dear but then
you say you are a carpenter , so you already have tools
for that trade chippy tools are not cheap either guess what
i'm trying to say is take your time buy tools when you can!
when you can't don't. all trades take time to learn keep chippying
and learn locking as you go!

the two day courses are a good basis to start from
as ken d said on my course" it's up to you now practise"
they only show you the method.
it's you that has to make it practical, as a call out glazier & window/door
fitter i'm in the same boat working and learning the locking!

i haven't failed yet to open a door i'll admit i've had to drill a few
but thats my learnig curve.
with the help available on this site we will all get better.

now back to this avocet curtain lock.
f***ing thing won't open for me!!

my hat off to pinky & shrub you are wise old sages indeed.